Workers and union advocates on Wednesday decried the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s move toward privatizing several departments, which could eliminate about 250 jobs in the agency.

“We are here today because we believe that this work is best done by public employees, whom we can hold accountable for their work,’’ James O’Brien, president of the Boston Carmen’s Union, told the MBTA’s fiscal control board. “These contracts were negotiated in good faith between labor and management, and we’re going to defend the rights of workers who could lose their livelihoods.’’

Several workers whose jobs could be affected pleaded with the board on Wednesday to rethink the outsourcing of jobs.

The MBTA plans to put out requests for proposals for privatizing several departments. On Wednesday, the MBTA’s chief administrator, Brian Shortsleeve, told the board that the MBTA wants to explore privatizing jobs related to fare collection maintenance, cash-counting, marketing communications, and management of warehouses, among other departments.

“Our hope is that by partnering with outside firms, we will get new technology and fresh perspectives,’’ Shortsleeve said.

Last year, Governor Charlie Baker’s administration fought to get the Legislature to free the MBTA of a law that puts up hurdles to privatization efforts for public jobs.

The move comes as the ­MBTA seeks to close a $242 million budget deficit in the 2017 fiscal year. The agency is also considering cutting late-night service and increasing fares.

Officials said some workers would be able to switch from jobs counting cash fares to driving buses. Other employees are eligible for retirement or could manage the contracts, but workers could also be laid off.

The agency has not released estimates on how much the move would save, but the positions that would be targeted for privatization cost the MBTA about $65 million annually.

On Wednesday, Shortsleeve said he was already encouraged by the 13 companies that responded to a request for information on how they might handle maintenance of fare machines.

Joseph Aiello, chairman of the fiscal control board, said he believed the agency was looking at “reasonable initiatives’’ to pursue with outsourcing but said he wanted to make sure the MBTA was capable of executing the contracts.

“I worry a little bit of about the internal capacity to launch all these initiatives in a very short period of time,’’ he said.

On Wednesday, 10 workers and union employees urged the board to rethink such proposals. Samantha Mills, an electrician who works on the MBTA’s fare collection machines, said she believed she could get laid off, and wouldn’t have the rights to transfer within the agency.

“By you taking me out of this job, you’re going to impact my life,’’ she said.

Antrynette Hobbs, who counts cash fares for the T, said she could return to her former position as a bus driver, but that it would shake up her home life.

“We work extremely hard, and for us to just go back to where we came from . . . it changes things, and your whole family life,’’ she said.

A union representative also read a letter from Karen M. Poore, the superintendent of the revenue collection department. Poore said the money-counting department hired only longtime employees with years of experience in the agency.

“Part of the reason for this is because seasoned employees are more inclined to care about the Authority’s revenue and less likely to risk their pension by doing something wrong,’’ she said. “This type of employee is not one we will have with a private company.’’

Steven Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, said he considered privatization disrespectful and mentioned that Baker had told legislators during a hearing last year that he did not want to “lay off hundreds of T workers.’’

Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said that she believed people were largely concerned with the layoffs of the workers who provide the “core operations’’ of the T, such as bus and subway drivers and mechanics.

“Our initial focus is not on those core operations, but on these administration operations,’’ she said.

Nicole Dungca can be reached at nicole.dungca@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @ndungca.